Now, that is mostly due to how terrible some of the teams in the East have been (the Charlotte Bobcats would be in the playoffs with an 8-11 record if they started Thursday night), but don't take anything away from how well the Wizards have been playing.

After starting out the season 2-7, the Wizards have been on a tear, even without starting shooting guard Bradley Beal.

But which players are contributing most to Washington's success? The starting five has obviously been playing well, but who are the top players in Washington right now?

It's about more than just points and rebounds per game, it's about who is contributing most to the team and who will be talked about at the end of the season if the Wizards are able to continue this success and make the playoffs.

14 Through 11

Ron Hoskins/Getty ImagesBackup point guard Eric Maynor is only averaging 2.9 points per game, although he has hardly played because of the great play of John Wall.

Note: Otto Porter Jr. is completely excluded from this list since he has not played in a single game, although he is on the 15-man roster. Porter, however, could be back sooner rather than later, according to The Washington Post.

14. Garrett Temple

Temple almost had a shot to get some minutes when Bradley Beal went down, but he was passed up by the coaching staff, only playing a combined three minutes in the last two games. He's only averaging 1.6 points this season in 16 games, and that's in over 10 minutes per game. Temple is just not being productive.

13. Glen Rice Jr.

What happened to Glen Rice Jr.? After having a great summer league, Rice has completely disappeared, only getting 6.1 minutes per game. He made headlines for all the wrong reasons earlier in the year, allowing Kyrie Irving to do this to him. If Porter is able to come back, Rice will fall even further down the totem pole of bench players.

12. Eric Maynor

Part of Maynor's lack of playing times is because of how great John Wall has been playing. With Wall getting over 37 minutes per game, where does Maynor really fit into this lineup? The short answer is nowhere. Maynor hasn't done much of anything, averaging less than three points and just over two assists.

11. Chris Singleton

Singleton is finally back in the lineup after suffering a foot injury in the offseason, so he can't get much higher on this list since he's only appeared in four games. However, he showed that he can be a contributor to this team Monday night against the Orlando Magic, scoring 11 points in 24 minutes.

9. Jan Vesely

Gary Dineen/Getty ImagesJan Vesely has continued to be ineffective on offense but has been productive in his limited minutes on defense.

Who would have thought that Jan Vesely wouldn't be the worst player on the team at this point in the season?

Yes, there are plenty of jokes to be made about Vesely's dreadful offensive performance, but as we've already established, this ranking is about more than points per game.

Head coach Randy Wittman obviously wants to see what Vesely can do, playing him in 18 minutes per game this year, and Vesely has at least shown that he can play defense, averaging about a block every two games and pulling down 4.7 rebounds per game.

Starting center Marcin Gortat has took note of Vesely's effort on the court, although it may not be leading to bigger numbers. Gortat told The Washington Post's Michael Lee:

He played well against me in Euro Basket and I realized he is capable of playing in this league. I told him a few days ago, listen, at some point, you just have to say ‘Screw it. I’m going to go out there and do it. I’ve got to do it hard and try to take advantage of every situation.’ He was more aggressive, he was playing smart and he had a lot of energy. And if he can continue playing like that, he’s going to help us out.

It will be interesting to see what kind of role Vesely will take on as the season progresses, especially knowing the Wizards aren't picking up his option at the end of the year, but for now, he's a productive player.

7. Al Harrington

Glenn James/Getty ImagesWhen Al Harrington has been healthy, he's done exactly what the Wizards brought him in to do: shoot threes. In seven games, Harrington has shot almost 43 percent from three.

Al Harrington has done essentially what the Wizards expected him to do when they signed him: miss some time but make threes when he's healthy.

Harrington has missed the last 11 games with a knee injury, but he was effective nonetheless prior to missing time.

Washington has become more of an offensive-minded team, and Harrington has fit well into that, shooting almost 43 percent from three. If he keeps up those numbers when he eventually returns, Harrington could be looking at his best three-point shooting year since the 2006-07 season.

Harrington is averaging less than eight points per game, but in this case, that's good news.

Martell Webster, Trevor Ariza and Bradley Beal have all shot so well from behind the arc that Harrington wasn't and won't be needed to shoot the majority of the threes.

When he does come back, Harrington will add yet another dimension to Washington's offense, which is a scary thought for opposing teams at this point.

4. Marcin Gortat

Ned Dishman/Getty ImagesMarcin Gortat has been a stronger defensive player this year than in the past, averaging 1.6 blocks and 9.2 rebounds.

After the Wizards traded with the Phoenix Suns for Marcin Gortat prior to the start of the season, fans were concerned that they would eventually regret giving away the first-round draft pick.

But through 18 games, Gortat has made fans forget all about the draft pick.

Gortat is leading the team in rebounds, blocks and even field-goal shooting, making almost 55 percent of his shots.

Through the first six weeks, Gortat has recorded seven double-doubles, including a huge 16-point, 17-rebound game on Nov. 23 against the New York Knicks.

The better Gortat plays, the better the Wizards have performed as a team. In Washington's nine wins, Gortat is averaging over 15 points, while in losses, he is only averaging 11 points, according to ESPN.

If Gortat keeps playing this way, fans will have easily forgotten about the draft pick and the loss of Emeka Okafor.

1. John Wall

Ned Dishman/Getty ImagesJohn Wall is the undisputed leader of the Wizards, and he's shown that he's ready to take the next step as a NBA point guard through the first part of the season.

No one should be surprised that John Wall is the best player on the Wizards right now.

Wall is the leader of this team, as he has shown on and off the court. Off the court, Wall drew some flack a week ago for saying he is the best point guard in the league.

But his play on the court makes a pretty strong argument.

Is he at a Chris Paul level right now? No. But by the end of the season, he could be in the conversation for the No. 2 spot.

Through 18 games, Wall is second in the league in assists and is second on the Wizards in points and first in steals.

Despite his struggles taking jump shots, Wall is playing to his strength, which is driving to the basket with the ball and blowing past defenders. It shows in his stats, with Wall shooting almost 60 percent from under the hoop, according to NBA.com/stats.

Forget about Wall making his first All-Star Game, Wall should be in the conversation for second team All-NBA.